Coaches

Austin Kemink ~ Owner

I was born in South Dakota and raised in Minnesota. In 2007, I graduated from the University of North Dakota with degrees in Commercial Aviation and Aviation Management, then moved West for the mountains and climate and never looked back. I spent the first year of my career in Anchorage, Alaska as a flight instructor for the University of Alaska Anchorage. Later that year I met my wife, Eileen.

We moved to Seattle in the summer of 2008 for a corporate pilot position. This was also when my passion for fitness and coaching started to take root. When I wasn’t flying, I spent my free time gaining my National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer certification and earned my first personal trainer job at the downtown Seattle 24 Hour Fitness.

Eileen and I married in 2010 and moved to Tacoma that fall so that we could be closer to our workplaces. I quickly secured a position with the Tacoma Center YMCA as a personal trainer and group coach. It was during this time that I discovered CrossFit and fell in love with the sport of Weightlifting, which then led to me studying for and obtaining my USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach accreditation.

After about seven years of flying, I realized that aviation wasn't for me and that my heart was truly in the world of fitness and coaching others. I followed this calling and started crafting the business plan for Town, while at the same time working towards procuring the one profession that encompassed all of my passions in one: FireFighting. In August of 2014 I was fortunate enough to earn a position with the Port of Seattle Fire Department. As of October 2015, I followed my other dream of opening a full-featured Strength and Conditioning gym alongside my friends and brothers, Adam and Mike.

My 1,000+ hours as a flight instructor have been invaluable to my coaching career. In the end, coaching and training others boils down to being a proficient teacher. Teaching is an understanding of how to break down complex ideas - or in our case, movements - into manageable pieces. It is also knowing when to push and when to support students or athletes. Whether this is your first time in the gym or you are a seasoned veteran, each of you are athletes once you step foot in Town.

I value technical prowess above all else, because it's not about how much weight you can move but how well you can move it and your body in space. This is what will keep you healthy, both in the gym and in your everyday lives.

Welcome to the Town family. I look forward to helping you reach your potential.

Stay Rooted,

Austin

austin@townathletics.com

Certifications:

OPEX CCP Level Associate Coach

USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach

Catalyst AthleticsLevel 1 Weightlifting Coach

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

CrossFit Judges Course

National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer

National and WA State Registered EMT

Michael Long ~ Owner

I was born and raised in the South Sound area of Washington, so this place has always been close to my heart. Growing up, my parents made sure I was always active through sports and the Boy Scouts. This prepared me for the physical demands of the military when I attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and became a commissioned officer in the United States Army. During my tenure as a Soldier, I served in both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. While serving in the Army, I developed a distinct understanding of and appreciation for the need for peak physical fitness in order to meet the heavy physical demands of deployment. By the same token, I realized the advantages that physical fitness brings to everyday life.

I returned home to Washington in 2012 after leaving active service. With respect to my fitness, I was just doing the normal bodybuilding routines that most everyone who works out has inevitably performed. My workouts were monotonous and repetitive. I was losing the motivation to keep myself at the high level of fitness I had achieved during my time in the Army.

Simultaneously, my best friend was making positive changes to his lifestyle to exercise more, eat healthier, and lose weight, and he wanted my help to keep him accountable and motivated. We had both heard of CrossFit and decided it would be a good change of pace to break the tedious repetition and routine of typical weightlifting workouts. We signed up at a local gym, took a class, and I’ve been hooked ever since. CrossFit constantly varies workouts so that you never get bored, and fosters a community of support and camaraderie. I quickly developed dreams of becoming a coach and opening my own gym to inspire the fitness and confidence I achieved through CrossFit. I am beyond thankful that, with my friends and partners, Austin and Adam, those dreams are now a reality.

During my time in the Army training and leading Soldiers, I developed the skills needed to coach and instruct a wide range of individuals, including teaching how to break down multi-layered tasks and tailoring my instructions to suit the individual I am working with. I can assess an individual's strengths and weaknesses and, through coaching, turn those weaknesses into strengths, motivating others to reach their full potential. I can help put you on a program to become healthy and fit, inside and outside of the gym.

Welcome to Town. Let's get Rooted in Strength together.

Stay Rooted,

Michael

michael@townathletics.com

Certifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

USA Weightlifting Sports Performance

Coach Precision Nutrition Level 1 Certified

CrossFit Judges Course

Army Master Fitness Trainer Phase 1

CPR Adult, Child, & Infant with AED Certification

Adam Benson ~ Owner

I was born and raised in Missoula, Montana. I graduated from Carroll College in 2009 and moved to the Seattle area in 2010. I purchased a house in Tacoma and am now proud to call this city my home.

I played a myriad of sports growing up including football, wrestling, basketball, golf, skiing, and pretty much anything that involved physical activity or competition. I always liked to push the limits, which culminated in a tear to my ACL my junior year of high school. This was a major blow to my psyche as I was told I wouldn’t play football my senior year. I have come to realize over the years that it was this event that changed my physical fitness path forever. I made a decision to stay positive, focused, and to work hard. Sure enough, six months later I was starting two-a-days on the football field.

I don’t share this story to prove how hard I can work, but rather to give an example of what can happen when you make a decision and stick to it.

I learned so much in those six months rehabilitating my knee. I started to understand the limits of my body, and how far I could push it with my mind. I grew to understand the importance of self care, the power of mobility, and the necessity of recovery. It was through this hard work and dedication that I was able to earn a golf scholarship at Carroll College. Through the college programming, I honed in my work ethic and learned more about workout regimens.

I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by such talented and quality people as Austin and Mike. They have helped mold my love and desire in not only my personal fitness, but in helping athletes reach their goals as well.

At Town Athletics, I plan on combining my strengths to help others reach their full potential through sound technique, work ethic, and the mental gymnastics that are required to push athletes through the challenges that accompany their pursuit of fitness. Fitness is defined as “Increasing work capacity through broad time and modal domains.” (CrossFit Inc. Foundations Handbook) At Town, we will not only strive to improve your fitness and quality of life, but also your mind - confidence, self belief, and determination.

“The most rewarding part of life is the ability to instill courage in others and help them overcome their trials.”

- Shamus McCarthy.

At Town, we will plant the seed. Now let us help you grow.

Stay Rooted,

Adam

adam@townathletics.com

Certifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

National and WA State Registered EMT

Meredith Beard ~ Coach

I was born and raised in Olympia, WA. I attended both Tumwater and Black Hills High School. After high school I attended Whatcom Community College where I played volleyball. I also attended Evergreen State College.

Health and fitness was first introduced to me in my youth through little league basketball. That experience then lead me to compete in a variety of team sports throughout high school and in competitive leagues.

During my 20s I was employed in a wide variety of retail and service industry jobs. I've always known since I was young that I wanted to be a motivator and coach. I applied this skill wherever I was employed, but I always felt the most at home helping motivate and coach others find and reach their health and fitness goals.

I got my first experience coaching my sophomore year in high school for Tumwater Youth League. I coached a girls basketball team and also refereed games up to my senior year. Fast forward a few years later, while attending Evergreen State College I worked at an all women's gym where I taught classes and provided personal training.

The opportunity to work as a trainer and coach ended; but the passion for health and fitness did not. I am, and always have been inspired to find the best path for me towards health, wellness, and fitness.

I have tried a variety of fitness plans that motivated me and would share my experience with friends, family, co-workers and anyone else who was interested in living healthy experiences.

My wife suggested I try CrossFit back in May 2012. Finding CrossFit has provided for me the most direct route to meeting my health, fitness, and community goals.

Since joining CrossFit I have participated in a weightlifting competition, multiple tough mudders, the CrossFit Open, and more hikes in the wilderness than I can count.

The community of CrossFit aligned me with meeting three of the most amazing coaches and teachers: Austin, Michael, and Adam. I am excited to share my passion for fitness rooted in their guiding principals. Let's do this!!!!!!!

Stay Rooted,

Meredith

meredith@townathletics.com

Certifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

USA Weightlifting Sport Performance Coach

Kristi Cooper ~ Coach

I am a Tacoman, born and raised. I have always had a deep love and admiration for this town and have enjoyed seeing it grow into the city it is today. I met my husband, Peter of 11 years here and have raised both of my children here.

Growing up, I played almost every sport I could convince my parents to let me be a part of, although soccer was my favorite. I didn’t find my love of weightlifting until I was in my late twenties and was already a mother of two.

Before I found Town Athletics, I was self-taught, working out alone. When I heard that a CrossFit gym was opening close to my home, I decided to check it out. I needed more direction and a community that shared my interests in fitness and weightlifting.

I was one of the founding members of Town Athletics, showing up with no idea of what CrossFit was, eager to learn. I saw how passionate the owners were and I knew I needed to be a part of their vision, in whatever way I could. My own passions grew as I learned everything I could about the sport of CrossFit (and I’m still learning!).

I realized that my passions included teaching others all of the amazing knowledge the coaches at Town Athletics had shared with me. I want others to find what I’ve found: Health, an amazing community, and a passion for Olympic lifting and CrossFit.

Stay rooted,

Kristi

kristi@townathletics.com

Certifications:

CrossFit Level 1 Trainer

Daniella AC Walling ~ Yoga Instructor

I was born in 1987 and first generation to the US. My parents moved to the US from Bogota, Colombia with my two older sisters and started their life in the US chasing the American Dream. We moved throughout the US A LOT before finally settling in Redmond, WA in the early 90s. Traveling and experiencing other cultures was very important to my parents, so much of my childhood summers were spent abroad and visiting family in Colombia and Mexico. From a very young age, my interests always steered toward physical activity and sports. I started playing softball at the age of 9 and played throughout the rest of my childhood, all the way until my senior year of high school. Although softball was always my number one sport, I was always eager to try and play anything. Depending on the season I tried everything from soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball…you name it, I tried it.

In 2005, I graduated from Bellevue Christian High school and attended Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA. A new environment, away from my family, with added pressures of performing well in school created anxiety that I had never dealt with in my life. I quickly realized that it was the first time in my life I was not involved in any kind of team sport or regular physical activity. I attempted to throw myself into any kind of recreational sports I could, but found that I was still not sleeping well and waking up nightly with anxiety and worries. The next semester, I needed to choose another gym credit and found that my school offered a yin yoga class as a gym credit. I also then remembered the many summers spent in Mexico and how yoga had been introduced to me at a young age. I decided to give it a shot and found that the combination of stretching my muscles and learning breath control and awareness was just the combination I needed to address the symptoms I was experiencing. After finishing the semester, I knew that a continued yoga practice would be important for my physical and mental health the rest of my life. From that point on, I started to practice Classic Hot, Vinyasa, and Yin style yoga heavily 5-6 times a week.

I graduated from Notre Dame de Namur in 2009 with a bachelor in Psychology and was then accepted to a Masters in Counseling program with the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. I graduated with my Masters in Counseling in 2010 and worked/lived in Brisbane until 2014 when I decided to move back to Washington to be closer to my family again. After moving back, I decided to finally get certified in both Classic and Vinyasa style yoga in 2014 and began regularly teaching at Core Power Yoga in Bellevue. I also quickly got hired as a Social Work Case Manager for a local Tacoma company and moved to Tacoma in December 2015, which is when I met my husband, Ryan. Ryan and I married in August 2017 and both continue to participate in any fun activities we can! Those include skiing, CrossFit, yoga, and hiking to name a few. Ryan introduced me to CrossFit in 2015 and I’ve been hooked ever since. I have participated in a weightlifting competition and most recently, my first team CrossFit comp. I’ve found that my yoga practice has been instrumental in keeping my mind calm and my body mobile and healthy enough to practice weightlifting and CrossFit. My hope is to provide the community at Town Athletics with the benefits of a regular yoga practice, which has been so beneficial to my own CrossFit journey.